Andre C. Russell – Founder/CEO
Andre C Russell is proud to be a product of his environment. Having been born into a single parent household and raised on the South side of Chicago with the support of grandparents from both sides of the family (Alvin and Christine Smith & TC and Beatrice Smith) . Andre has always been protected from most of the atrocities of the streets. Even though that never stopped him though from experimenting and encountering his fair share of trouble growing up, through the lessons learned from those experiences and the continued love and support from his family, Andre was able to not become a typical statistic of the community and was able to graduate high school (Chicago Vocational High School) and then college (Olive-Harvey College and Chicago State University) with a B.S. in Criminal Justice with an emphasis in African American Studies.
After experiencing the loss of his Father (Derries “Josh” Smith) in 1997, Andre became determined for his own life to mean something beyond just being “Cool Dre” and vowed to make a difference in the world. This pursuit has led Andre into a larger world of positive social outreach and development. Having worked at two of the longest running and most prolific nonprofit organizations in Chicago, Mercy Home for Boys and Girls and Metropolitan Family Services respectively, Andre was able to learn, grow and refine the skills that included case management, direct care services, advocacy, and providing resources to clients all over the Chicago area from a variety of cultural and economic backgrounds. During his spare time, Andre has also volunteered his time working on and co facilitating one of the longest running Black Studies Conferences in the Midwest, creating Black History programs for youth, numerous public speaking opportunities, literacy programs, and helping to create a Mentoring Program with this AF&AM Lodge, Joseph Lodge #12.
All of these experiences have prepared Andre to step out on faith and become a more vocal entity in the community for encouraging family stability and to reinvigorate community activism. The foundation of the Smith Center for Community Advancement is that much needed step and is based upon the often subtle but memorable philosophy that Andre’s grandparents have always instilled in him about caring and supporting others in need. It is Andre’s goal that the Smith Center will be a catalyst for a larger movement of Community Action and Reconnecting Families because a strong family should be the foundation of a strong and prosperous community.